


pink in the night

by str4wberrie



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: 99 line fic, Childhood Friends, F/F, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Lots of strawberries, Making Out, a lot of relationships omg, she calls her kitten, this is for u lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23186170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/str4wberrie/pseuds/str4wberrie
Summary: Kim Yerim has been by Son Chaeyoung's side as the younger girl fell in love with everyone in their friend group, patiently waiting for her turn. She couldn't help but wonder why her best friend has liked everyone but her.
Relationships: Choi Yoojung/Kim Doyeon, Kim Jiwoo | Chuu/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Kim Yerim | Yeri/Son Chaeyoung
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	pink in the night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This song was greatly inspired by Pink in the night by Mitski so i suggest you go listen to it if you want to <3

_I glow pink in the night in my room_   
_I've been blossoming alone over you_   
_And I hear my heart breaking tonight_   
_I hear my heart breaking tonight_   
_Do you hear it too?_   
_It's like a summer shower_   
_With every drop of rain singing_   
_"I love you, I love you, I love you_   
_I love you, I love you, I love you_   
_I love you, I love you, I love you."_

_I could stare at your back all day_   
_I could stare at your back all day_   
_And I know I've kissed you before, but_   
_I didn't do it right_   
_Can I try again, try again, try again_   
_Try again, and again, and again_   
_And again, and again, and again_

_\- Pink in the Night // Mitski-_

* * *

Kim Yerim has been by Son Chaeyoung's side throughout most of her life. She was there when she got her first hair cut, heard the shrieks of her parents as they saw the short length that she herself cut it into (Yerim had been there to help her steady her shaking hands to little avail, of course).

She was there when the first boy (and the first girl) broke her heart, she brought the crying girl strawberry ice cream and held her shoulders to help it stop shaking out of the force of her hushed sobs and whispered soft words to soothe her sadness.

She was definitely there when she had her first kiss, which her mind chooses not to dwell on often, only in times when she had trouble sleeping would she dare to think about that cold November night.

As expected, she had also been there as the younger girl fell in love with everyone in their friend group over the years. Well, everyone except her.

It first started in highschool, as do most things. They were in eight grade and it was a new environment for both girls, but she wasn't as afraid as she would have been without Chaeyoung by her side. With a new environment also came a new group of friends. So much about people were unknown to the both of them, and while Yerim was fine not knowing and sticking with the things that she already knew, content with the comfort of familiarity, Chaeyoung was an explorer.

Yerim was thankful that the other girl didn't just find a new group of friends and ditched her to be alone. She was grateful that she dragged Yerim to their table every lunch time. She was grateful that she very often tried to get Yerim to talk about her interests to her friends. She was grateful that every time school ends, she grabs her hand and pulls her to join her group of friends to the arcade even though she knew Yerim was never good at games. She was obviously trying her best to not leave the older girl out. Yerim was grateful, she really was.

But on tuesday afternoon, Yerim really wished she had turned her friend down even just this once.

Chaeyoung had been staring more than usual. Yerim was used to this, when they had first met she was almost taken aback by how much intensity her gaze held. How she'd look straight into Yerim's eyes while talking to her while the other girl's own were fleeting, not knowing where to rest. The other girl stared at things she found striking, and she stared at things she found boring. She had always been wondering what her very long and frequent stares directed to Yerim meant.

Her stares were never blank. When they were on Yerim's face they were always roaming, almost as if she was searching for something, very very slowly. She stared at her so often that the other girl had mentally noticed a pattern. Chaeyoung's round curious eyes would fall on her own, roam up to her forehead a bit then travel downwards, lingering on her nose, going sideways to look at her often-heated cheeks, doing a once-over her eyes again before finally dropping to her lips. Nothing ever happens after that.

Chaeyoung staring more than usual would never have bothered Yerim, if only it had not been directed to another girl. 

The younger girl invited her to go eat at a restaurant with their friends, and she didn't want to seem too clingy, but she had figured that something was different when she didn't sit beside Yerim, instead she walked straight beside their friend Tzuyu. Chaeyoung herself said that if anyone knew her the best, it would be Yerim, and so she knew exactly what her stares directed to Tzuyu meant- attraction.

Tzuyu was tall, she had a small face and big eyes. She was hardworking, gentle, and charismatic. Why was she even surprised her best friend seemed to be attracted to her? She tears her gaze from where Chaeyoung was touching her arm a little too much over casual.

The walk back to Chaeyoung's house was hard to go through. For Yerim, anyway. The other girl was chatting as lively as usual. 

Yerim always had trouble saying no to her. Not because she felt pressure of any sort, if she felt uncomfortable, she would tell her immediately. Their friendship has always been built on honesty and she knew that Chaeyoung would not hesitate to back off if that was what Yerim wanted. But when she does the thing when she asks something risky, like a favour or a request, when she flips her short hair out of her eyes and stare at her eyes, her lower lip caught between her teeth waiting for an answer, how would anyone expect Yerim not to give in? So when Chaeyoung had asked her to sleep over at her house, she gave in in a second.

It was obvious that she had been trying to slip the name 'Tzuyu' in every opportunity she got as they conversed while walking home. She was never one to tiptoe on any subject, so Yerim figured the younger girl was waiting for her to bring it up and confront her, so she cut her off in the middle of her weird mumbling.

"Be honest with me, Chaengie", she said with a sigh and a pointed look.

"Uh huh?", she looked half confused, half expectant.

"You like Tzuyu, don't you?"

She didn't gasp at her words, nor did she try to act surprised, instead she lowered her head and after a while, let out a small nod. "You're kinda wrong though, it's just a crush."

"Is that not what liking someone means?"

"Kitten, no. A crush is a crush, liking is a whole lot more than that."

"Whats with the face?", she asks Yerim as she went into silence.

"It's just a little weird, that's all. Even if its just a crush, as you say."

"How so?", Chaeyoung turns to her, trying to read her face as she keeps it as nonchalant as she can in a situation like this.

"It's just that we're all such close friends... isn't it kind of odd to suddenly see a person in a different light."

"You don't think friends can like their friends?"

She thought about it. What if she had been in her shoes? Or what if she was the one who started liking Chaeyoung in a romantic way? The way that it felt easy to picture loving the younger girl made shake her head a little at her thoughts, the tips of her ears turning red. She goes for a shrug which the other girl replies to with a hum.

Thankfully, they arrive at Chaeyoung's house where they had no choice but to be quiet as they tiptoe up the creaking stairs in their socks, past the adults who were sleeping on the living room coach. The silence carries on as they get changed into their pajamas. There was something about the air that felt different. A lot more glancing, especially on the older girl's part as Chaeyoung decides to sleep without a shirt tonight due to the "heat", which was questionable considering the shivers crashing into Yerim's body.

Even with the soft music coming from her laptop, the silence was deafening, so she decided to speak. "What made you turn?"

The other girl looked up from where her head was buried in her pillow, "What do you mean?"

"What made you realize... that you have a crush on Tzuyu?", her voice barely there, unsure if she should just keep it to herself.

She doesn't even stop to contemplate, "Honestly?", she pauses, "When she started flirting with me."

The older girl tries to mask her confusion, opening her mouth to say something before the other cuts her off by talking again, "But it isn't just that, though. The crush kind of started when we were out for ice cream the day you weren't free. And... I don't know, I didn't really notice how close we were becoming until I found myself wanting to kiss her."

Blood suddenly started rushing to Yerim's face, covering her face in a furious pink blush, which upon seeing, Chaeyoung lets out an amused laugh at.

"You're so damn cute", she said inching closer to the blushing girl to pinch her warm cheeks, "I didn't know getting you flustered was as easy as saying a word. You're burning up, jesus christ."

"You caught me off guard!", Yerim argues with a pout that she could have sworn Chaeyoung had glanced at while placing both her cold palms against each of her cheek, cupping them and absorbing her warmth.

"Have you ever wanted to kiss anybody?", she tried again, "Don't lie to me, kitten."

Yerim doesn't think it was possible to blush even harder, but she did upon hearing the pet name in a situation like they were in. She genuinely did not want to think about who she has thought about kissing before (especially not when the said person was sitting in front of her right at that moment), but she didn't want to lie to her either, "...Okay, but if I say yes will you force me to tell you who it is?"

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to tell me. I won't force you to do anything, you know that", her voice softening, not wanting to scare away the older girl.

Chaeyoung was still so near to her, still kneeling in front of her, cupping her cheeks. She's surprised she gains a little courage despite their close proximity. She looks her straight in the eye, "Then yes, I have thought about kissing someone."

The younger girl appeared to be speechless for a few seconds, which was a rare sight. She snaps out of her daze though as a mischievous look takes over her face, "Then I have something to propose to you."

She finally backs away from cupping Yerim's cheeks, and so she breaks away too, chuckling at the girl's ridiculous statement, leaning back and laying down in her bed. "You can't ask me to marry you, Chaeng. We're like 8th grade and my mom would flip."

"No, stupid. I'm just saying...", she seems to hesitate, "Do you wanna try?"

Her brain doesn't process it for a few seconds, so she lets out a "Huh?"

"Do you wanna try... kissing? Making out. Pecking. Whatever you wanna call it", Yerim can identify when the other girl was faking her confidence and bravery. An advantage Chaeyoung had was she wasn't easy to blush, but sometimes you can hear her nervousness in her speech. At that moment, it was quite obvious that the girl was nervous, and she was confused why.

The older girl was caught up in thinking that she didn't notice that she hasn't answered the other yet, so Chaeyoung starts talking again, a lot calmer this time. It could almost pass as genuine confidence, "You want to kiss this mysterious person, and I want to kiss Tzuyu. Don't you want to try?"

Yerim knew the situation they were in needed a lot of contemplation, and she knew it was her job since the younger always liked to jump into things without thinking. She thought about what this would mean, how they would change once it was done and how it could make things awkward, but once she glanced at the girl seated in front of her, her best friend, the same girl who never left her despite knowing every corner of her being, she knew nothing would change. She wasn't gonna lose her Chaeyoung over a peck.

Chaeyoung drops her hopeful eyes and chuckles nervously, "You know what nevermind, it was stupid sorry. I know you're like, straight or some shit, you probably hate the idea of kissing a girl, forget I even s-"

"I'm not", she cuts the younger girl off.

"Huh?", she asks, confused.

"I'm not _'straight or some shit'_."

Her eyes widened, "No way."

Yerim chuckles, "Why is it so hard to believe? We literally watched _Blue is the Warmest Colour_ together, Chaeng."

  
"But you never talk about liking anyone! Not even celebrities. I kind of just assumed you were into boys."

  
Yerim lets out a full laugh now, "Now why would I do that to myself? Quite heteronormative of you, Chaeng."

  
Chaeyoung laughs too, but it seemed like her mind was on something else, "So... do I not get my kiss?"

The blood came rushing back up, painting her ears rosy, "You're unbelievable", she exclaims before leaning over the younger.

  
She takes a moment to look at her best friend, her hair messily plopped against her pillow, an excited glint in her eyes, her lips curled up in a small smile. She prays to whatever entity that the other girl couldn't hear the uncontrollably loud beating of her heart and smiles at her before she brings her face close to her and slowly lands a kiss on the corner of her mouth, barely there and pulling away. She giggles and as the younger was about to open her mouth to complain, she lands a soft kiss right at her lips. Chaeyoung was motionless for a few seconds before moving her lips too, unsure of how but willing to try.

  
Yerim tries to take it slow, but the younger girl kisses her eagerly, buzzing with excitement. It was such a mismatch that Yerim giggles against her mouth at the mess of it all, but neither of them seemed to care, only going after the soft feeling and the sweetness of Yerim's strawberry lip balm.

They finally pull away and look at each other for a moment before laughing. "Wanna watch mean girls?"

"Again?"

* * *

  
They've been like this since Chaeyoung was 7 and Yerim just turned 8. Yerim didn't have much friends to invite to her birthday party, so she didn't end up having one. Instead, her mother invited her own friend who happened to have a daughter that was the same age as Yerim. She didn't talk to younger girl at first, but the 7-year-old was adamant on helping her bake her birthday cake, mixing the eggs with such enthusiasm. She even brought strawberry icing as a gift even though she didn't know the birthday girl well. Yerim then decided she would choose this over anything and that her best birthday gift was not the icing but a new friend. 

A decade later, they were still like this. Not once did their friendship waver, not even when Yerim had to stay in her mother's province over the summer. They were still Yerim and Chaeyoung. Yerm and Chaeng. Inseparable as always. 

They picked up a number of friends along the way, but neither of the two worried about being number 1 in each other's lives. Although, Yerim is left unsure of that whenever Chaeyoung finds yet another girl to crush on.

Their group of friends consisted of Yerim, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu who was class president and the face of the school's anti-bullying campaign, Jiwoo who was the brightest and most cheerful girl on campus, Jungeun who was a little bit of a delinquent who broke men's hearts for a living, Mina who was a caring friend and a talented dancer, and Yoojung and Doyeon who were both cheerleaders. At first, Yerim felt daunted in the face of 6 girls she didn't know, but Chaeyoung held her hand through it.

The first girl that Chaeyoung developed a crush on was Tzuyu during 8th grade, she ended up confessing to her (as encouraged by Yerim), but Tzuyu ended up rejecting her, saying she wasn't really into girls like that. Yerim found it strange how easily the younger girl recovered from the rejection. She pointed it out to her, wondering why she didn't look sad at all. Chaeyoung only shrugged and said "It is what it is".

Since then, Chaeyoung was extra careful. She came out as a lesbian to their friend group and everyone followed suit. Most of them were revealed as bisexual or lesbian as well except, well, Tzuyu. Of course she had to crush on the straight one.

The second of the same instance was when she had a tiny crush on Doyeon, the other girl had found out about it and came clean to the group about how she was already dating Yoojung. Chaeyoung once again shrugged the heartbreak off, only crying to Yerim once before never speaking of it again.

The third instance was in 9th grade, Yerim noticed it before the younger girl noticed it herself. She had been skipping classes with Jungeun more often, spending time in an empty, secluded classroom to smoke and makeout. It had been going on for a while and Chaeyoung insisted they were truly only friends, until it clicked for her that she had a crush on Jungeun. Chaeyoung climbed in through Yerim's window and climbed into her bed as well when the older girl was about to sleep, she hugged her best friend's side and buried her face in Yerim's neck and started crying. She cried all night until she was calm enough to tell Yerim about how Jungeun was already in love with someone and didn't want to date unless it was that person. 

In 10th grade, Chaeyoung found out the hard way that the person Jungeun was in love with was Jiwoo. The younger girl decided that from then on, she was not gonna confess to another girl if she could help it, so she crushed on Jiwoo from afar instead. It started when Jiwoo noticed Chaeyoung was feeling down and brought her a flower she had picked and a cup of boba in the flavour Chaeyoung liked. She was so infatuated with Jiwoo until she started dating Jungeun. This time, Chaeyoung didn't feel heartbroken, instead she was happy and supportive of her two friends.

There wasn't another instance and for a while, Chaeyoung dedicated her heart to Kristen Stewart and Kristen Stewart only. That is, until 12th grade. It was Chaeyoung's first time to have a girl confess to her. She has had confessions before, but she had only turned them down because it was from men. Now here she was, Kang Mina, in front of Chaeyoung with a box of chocolates and a letter in hand. 

The two went out for some time, and for a while Yerim was the only single one in the group with Tzuyu dating Jung Subin from the football team. It was not because no one liked her, definitely not. From the friend group, Yerim had one of the biggest numbers of admirers in their school, second to Doyeon who was, well, a cheerleader. People came up to Yerim ever so often, even Mark Lee, one of the school's most popular boys, and Lee Yeoreum, a really hot senior girl came up to her and ended up with a broken heart.

Yerim did not find the fact that she was single weird. She did, however, find that fact that Chaeyoung wasn't single all too weird.

Mina was a nice girl, perfect even. She was gorgeous with her enchanting eyes, big smile, and cute ears. She was talented too, the dance team of the school had been champions for 3 years straight because of her skills. Yerim knew her personality very well, well enough to know that she's caring and genuine and wouldn't do anything to break  
her best friend's heart.

She knew all that, so she had no explanation on why seeing the two together left a slightly bitter taste in her tongue (and a weird pang in her heart too).

However, at a Friday night when Chaeyoung pulls up at Yerim's house on her motorcycle with a text that says " _make yourself pretty, kitten. wear something black. not feeling too good and i wanna drink lol_ ", she thinks she might have trusted Mina with Chaeyoung's heart too much.

She was proven right when they were both 8 bottles of beer in and Chaeyoung starts crying presumably over their breakup, which prompted her to cry as well. Yerim has always been the emotional one between the two, crying after she scraped her knee and 8-year-old Chaeyoung puts a band aid over it and kisses her knee better. Seeing Chaeyoung in front of her, her mascara running as she rubs at the tears in her eyes together with the alcohol system does horrible things to her weak Pisces heart. 

She grabs her best friend's hand, clumsily dragging her to the bathroom. They get to the bathroom and still slightly drunk, Yerim grabs a bunch of tissues, wets them slightly and rubs them around Chaeyoung's eyes, cleaning up the messy eye makeup. She ignored how close they were, ignored how Chaeyoung was staring right at her in the way she usually does, except the alcohol makes everything feel more intense this time. She ignored the way their faces are were close that every time the younger girl exhaled, she felt her hot breath on her own lips, distracting her immensely. 

"Why'd you even put this much mascara on, Chaeng?"

She lets out a drunk laugh, like she's laughing at a secret only she and herself knows. She pouts and murmurs, "I'll let you in on a secret. Wanted to look good for my kitten."

Yerim feel something deep in her stomach upon hearing that, she can barely handle it all. She couldn't handle the amount of alcohol in her system, how she didn't notice how Chaeyoung had rested her hand on her waist, how warm and good it felt when she was this close to Yerim, the things she was saying and how good she looked tonight, it was all too much for Yerim. She broke down, "Fuck you, Chaeyoung."

Chaeyoung staggered drunkenly, "Why are you swearing at me? Why is my baby swearing at me? What did Chaengie do wrong?"

Yerim turned away from her and faced the sink, "No, fuck you, Chaeng. Why do you keep doing this?"

The younger girl looked confused, "What? What am I doing?"

"Why do you keep doing everything? Why do you keep calling me that? Why do you-"

  
_keep liking everyone but me?_

  
Her drunken state still managed cut herself off before she could say anything she would regret too much, thinking of another thing to say. "Why do you keep bending over backwards for girls who just break your heart, Chaeng? Why do you keep fucking hurting yourself like this? Why them? Why... not me?"

  
Chaeyoung is silent for a while, before grabbing Yerim's shoulder and bringing their lips together. She crashes against her, backing her up against the wall, kissing her with so much passion that it leaves her breathless. She kisses her again and again and again, like she's been meaning to do so for years. She nibbles on Yerim's lower lip, it makes her gasp, "Baby". The nickname drives Chaeyoung to kiss her, tilting her head to go deep as her hand roams Yerim's body, she pulls away quickly to breathe and say, "God, kitten, you still taste the same."

Her words does things to Yerim's head, flipping them over so the younger girl is against the wall, and she kisses over her face and down her neck, she starts saying in a hushed tone like it's a secret, only for them to know, "I broke up with Mina because she wasn't you. It wasn't fair to her, not when it's you that I love. I've loved you for so long, kitten. All this time. You don't know how many times I've looked at you and wanted to kiss you, just like this."

"Why didn't you do it? You should have said something, stupid.", Yerim pulls away to say.

"I know how you act when people like you, Yerm. You turn them down and avoid them like the plague. You told me you don't think you'll ever be able to like someone who is already your friend. To confess to other girls like Jungeun and Tzuyu and all of them, I could do it easily because I knew it wouldn't be the end of the world if they rejected me. But you, Yerim, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lose you."

Yerim cups her face with both of her hands, "You're so stupid", she pecks her once, "I love you", pecks her again, "So so much", pecks her again, "It's crazy."

Chaeyoung smiles at her, with small tears building in her eyes, "I love you way more, kitten."

"Let's go home and watch mean girls or something."

The younger girl laughs, and they walk hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> hi !! I hope you liked it <3


End file.
